Frenzy
by Leeres Liben
Summary: I don't know what or how, but all my life I've spent it living in a glass tank. Preforming tricks and eating slabs of meat that make me more active. Really, it's pathetic how I get set off so easily when a single drop of blood lands in my tank. But, things changed, and now, I live in a self-cleaning tank in the back yard of a huge mansion. Either way, I'm happy.
1. Shark Bait

Well I mean, I am such a liar. Really. This is all I can do; write shitty pilots and never return to them. But I really wanna do this so, I will do this! I just need encouragement from you guys, the lovely readers!

* * *

_Thud Thud Thud_

The sound of something hitting thick glass could be heard throughout the entire tent. The crowd was cheering madly, excited for what was going to be preformed next

"_Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls alike! We welcome you to Cirque Bizzare, we show the utmost weird and unique people and their special abilities! I'm sure you all are very excited for this special young girl's first debut! She's been living with us since she was small, but now here's her first show! Please, allow me to introduce; Ripjaws the sharkmaid!" the Ringleader said, as a giant curtain rose from a large glass tank._

The water was slightly pink, due to one of the workers dropping a piece of meat into the tank. The thumping was still audible, and frenzied splashes could be heard. The crowd gave a loud 'oooh' as they watched.

"_Yes! She's a mermaid; half human and half shark! Although she isn't like her fairy tale counterpart, she is specialized in tricks! Watch as her trainer, Mattias, directs her from tank to tank!"_

A whistle blew and the splashes stopped, on a large mega screen, Ripjaws' face was seen.

Sickly pale skin, black eyes, sharp fangs and webbed fins on the side of her head, Ripjaws stared at Mattias, waiting for the sets of whistles she was trained on.

"Alright we got once chance to do this right, don't mess up!" the trainer snarled; Ripjaws just gave an innocent look and nodded.

Another tank was unveiled, but this time was much smaller and shorter, but still as deep as the other tank. Ripjaws dove underwater again and began swimming around; the water had mysteriously begun to clear as she swam, so everyone could see her in the tank.

Her torso was bare, save for the matted wisps of gray hair that covered her front. Her hair was a pale gray, which was long in the front, but short and choppy in the back. Large slits were on the side of her torso; her gills. Her hands were webbed, and as you went up, her elbows had fin-like protrusions. Down to the base of her back was a dorsal fin that had a few chips in it. Her tail was gray, with a white underbelly. The tail had another smaller fin, while the top of her tail was slightly longer than the bottom of it.

Mattias blew the whistle twice and Ripjaws began to twist and twirl in the water. He blew the whistle three times and Ripjaws jumped out her current tank and did a few flips in the air, her hair had darkened when she was out the tank, but quickly paled again as she entered the water. Mattias gave two short whistles then one long followed by another short whistle. She swam to the bottom of the tank and angled her self vertically.

The fifth whistle for that set was blown and Ripjaws launched herself from the tank, her webbed hands became claw-like and her mouth had drawn back as she snatched the hanging piece of meat from his hands and landed in the other tank, while rolling and flipping in mid air. She began her frenzied shark attack on the steak and after finishing it, swam up onto the ledge that was in the tank and posed with Mattias, who was still at the first tank, as he was bowing.

The crowd gave loud cheers and applauses; the fear that had built up when they saw the sharkmaid launch herself with her teeth drawn at his hand was edgy indeed.

"_We hope you enjoyed this show! Please visit us in Bayville next time for our next show!" _the Ringleader's voice boomed as the lights for the circus dimmed, and only the lights for the audience remained.

A light splash was heard; signifying that Ripjaws had went back into the water. She was circling herself, but her eyes were closed.

The sound of the larger tank being drained was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.

* * *

_Bamf! _

"Kurt! That is like, SOOO not cool!" a girly voice rang out in between coughs; the smell of fur and sulfur thick. A book was on the floor, thrown from initial shock.

"Sorry Keety, I didn't mean to surprise you, but I heard the Professor found another mutant!" a thick German accent responded.

"Like, really? Is it a boy or a girl? I like hope it's a girl…and that she's into the same clothing style as me!" Kitty said.

Kurt laughed. "Yes, that vould be good. Do you vant to come vith me to the Professor's room? The others are already there vaiting." He asked.

"Sure!" Kitty said and the two made their way down the institute.

A man was sitting in a wheelchair, staring out a window. He was watching the other students at the institute walk around and chat aimlessly with their friends. His hands were folded under his chin. A tall, dark skinned woman with silky silver hair stood by him.

"Charles, is it a mutant..?" the woman asked. The man, Charles Xavier or Professor X, unfolded his hands and turned around. Six other people were in the room. They were all staring expectantly.

"I believe so. The telekinetic wave I felt was very weak, but there. I'll have to use Cerebro to find them. Logan, Jean and Scott, when I find him or her, I want you three to go find them and bring them back. I'm not sure if they're scared or unaware, but be careful none the less." Xavier said.

"You got it Professor." Jean said.

"And, Kurt, Kitty, I want you two to be as welcoming as possible for our new friend." The Professor added.

"Will do!" they said at the same time. Xavier smiled. "Good, now everyone you're dismissed. You all have classes tomorrow, and behave Kurt."

* * *

The sound of metal against metal was what awoke her from her slumber. It was pitch black, but that didn't bother her too much. She swam up but was met with a covering. So that's what made it pitch black… She could tell that she was in her travling tank. It was a lot more shallow and saltier. She looked at her hands and then at her tail.

She always wondered how she got these. It wasn't as if she could talk; she had no tongue. Just teeth and jaws. It was a wonder how she hadn't gone crazy and attacked her fellow troupe members, but she couldn't; they were family. She was often told by the Ringleader that they found her on the beach; her skin was dried something terrible and that she was breathing shallowly. They said that her gills were a dead giveaway at what she needed.

How she ended up as a beached shark was beyond them. Lisa, a fire breather of the troupe, speculated that she was swept ashore by a tide or a storm.

_Ripjaws…_

A name that was just thrust upon her. She guessed the Ringleader gave it to her because of her teeth, but why _Ripjaws?_ Everyone had 'normal' names; Lisa the Fire Breather, Adam the Strongest, Tia and Tammy the Flying Monkeys, and then there was she; _Ripjaws. _

She never bothered with it, but now seemed a good time to. She was alone with her thoughts, a luxury she never got since Mattias was so keen on watching her.

That's another thing that baffled her; Mattias! He hated her for no reason. Once upon a time he did like her, but now he hates her with his entire fiber. The thought alone saddened her. She knows she isn't pretty like Mana the Lioness tamer; pretty brown hair that flowed around her like a perfect, natural mane, pretty olive skin, striking hazel eyes and curves that could make angels cry. And then there was she; pasty pale skin, matted gray hair, and a mucosal membrane that kept her hydrated for a while when out of water, webbed appendages and rough skin. Yeah, she's a _real _looker.

She wasn't bothered by that either. As long as she got fresh meat she was fine.

A halt that caused her to bump her head on her tank alerted her that the train stopped. How she didn't wake during the tank transfer was beyond her.

The sound of a cargo door opening made her jump. The black tarp that covered her tank was removed. It was really bright for a second, and it took a while for her beady eyes to adjust. When they did, Mattias stood before her.

"Oh good you're awake. Well, we're here. Bayville. Ringleader is lookin for a spot to set up the tent. When he does, we'll be movin out there." He spoke.

His voice sounded a little muffled because of the water, but she understood. The tarp was thrown over her tank once again, and she was once more enshrouded in darkness.

Wow, these tarps really do block out the world, huh?

* * *

Well, this was a nagging plot bunny in my head. I wanted to do SOMETHING. I'm hoping this sails well. If I get 10 Reviews/Favorites/Likes/Follows or anything really, as long as it's 10 _anything _I'll add a new chapter. I'm not too picky about things but yeah.


	2. Fish outta Water

I got bored so I decided to add another chapter holy fudge.

ALSO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS HOLY BAWLS! You do not understand how coo coo my email inbox was goin. I had like 10 emails saying 'Review/Fave/Follow' omg!

* * *

Ripjaws awoke to the scent of blood in her tank. Her beady black eyes dilated to the point where her sclera was covered in black. Her sharp teeth were peaking through her lips as she swam in a languid and docile motion.

_Ker-plunk! _

And Ripjaws was off to the races. It was large this time; a thick slab of beef was dropped into her tank. Red quickly filled the tank and sounds of feral and unhinged attack was heard.

Mattias was sitting in front of the tank with a bored look on his face. "You're a girl for pete's sake! Can't you eat more, I don't know, ladylike or properly?" he sarcastically drawled.

The ferocious splashing stopped and Ripjaws' head slowly rose from the tank. Blood has dyed her hair a light shade of pink and pink-tinted water rolled off her face. She was peeking over the glass edge; a somewhat garbled pant came from her mouth.

"Jesus, that's just disgusting…Now we have to clean this tank again." He grunted, a disgusted look flitted across his face as he rose. Ripjaws' eyes were slowly coming back into color. Her hands held onto the edge of the tank. She was looking around curiously.

She had of course seen the same tent for the past-was it seventeen?-years but still couldn't help but be curious. Each new place her troupe went held new smells. It was truly invigorating.

She turned her head back to Mattias, another innocent look crossed her face, followed by a splash of water. She wanted to know when they were performing.

"You're not showcasing this time. This area is pretty touchy about…_your kind._" He said, a small hint of fear and sadness crossed his face for a second, but was gone before she could question it.

And what did Mattias mean by 'her kind?' were there more merpeople like her? Did he mean that her parents were like her too?

Ripjaws became really curious then, deciding to swim in her tank while thinking of all these new possibilities. Mattias just sighed and walked out, muttering things about sharks.

Really, they should invest in getting a tube that connects from tank to tank. She's getting tired of swimming around in a cylinder all day.

* * *

Charles Xavier was sitting in front of Cerebro. It had detected another small wave of mutant activity, but as soon as he scanned for a file, it vanished. The Professor was baffled to say the least.

"I don't understand…Does this mutant not have any data, or is Cerebro picking up the wrong mutant?" he wondered to himself. Deciding to give it quits for now, he wheeled away from the machine and took place in front of a window. Ororo had decided to walk in.

"Any luck Charles?" she asked. The man sighed, and turned around. "Not yet. I'm not sure, but this mutant may or may not have a database. Or, their powers is manifesting in small waves." He said.

The African woman glanced over at Cerebro, and then back to the Professor.

"I heard that a circus troupe has just arrived in Bayville. 'Cirque Bizzare' is their name; a little odd sounding to me. It may be worth checking out, and it may lead to our mysterious mutant who is awakening their gene."

She handed him a flyer; the background was dark blue with a large red tent. Big, bold white letters that read 'Cirque Bizzare; Home of Wondrous galore' was decorated over the tent. The top part had two women hanging upside down on a trapeze, the lower left corner had a woman with large hair holding a whip, a man in a leopard print leotard lifting a car, and in the right corner was a sickly pale woman supporting herself with her arms and her tail coiled in on itself.

Professor's eyebrow rose at the sight of the fish-woman. "Ororo, does this tail look like a costume to you?" he asked, pointing to the woman.

She took the flyer from his hand and looked at it. Her eyebrows furrowed. "No, the openings on her side don't look like makeup or costume either. Her tail looks too joined to her."

He put two fingers to his temple and thought. 'Jean, Scott? Can you two hear me? This weekend, I would like for you to gather the team and go to this circus. It's at Bayville Beach, so besure to dress accordingly. I will purchase tickets for you all.'

'Professor, why the sudden break? Has something happened?' Scott thought back, curiosity and confusion in his tone.

'Yeah Professor, did you find the new mutant?' Jean asked.

'Not quite, but I may be onto something. I have a feeling our new friend has arrived to us unaware of what she is. Be cautious though; circuses operate much like a family does. You have your orders.' The Professor thought before ending the telepathic communication.

"I just hope we arrive on time before they do go haywire."

* * *

Ripjaws was playing with herself; she was blowing bubbles in the tank and making them freeze. She smiled as the little frozen objects floated about in the water. She was overly excited; they were near a beach! It had been a few years since she had visited one, but now that she was here, well she was too excited.

The sea! The sea! It rolls and calls, begging her to take a swim for just a while. Her smile faltered for a bit; Ringleader told he she could go swim, she just needed to be extra careful of humans and to have Mattias by her at all times.

She pouted at the last bit. She would avoid humans; no need to scare them into thinking a 'Shark Attack' or something was happening. Mattias would probably forget she's swimming and go off for a while. That was fine by her.

She circled her tank a little more fervently; the show was in a day. The tickets had gone on sale yesterday, and there were a few left. Even though she wasn't performing, she still wanted to have the show sold out. It means more meat and better tank equipment for her.

A gentle tap was heard, and she turned to find Lisa waving at her. Ripjaws waved back and swam up. She perched her arms over the tank's rim and stared down at Lisa.

"Bonjour ma grande requine blanche. How are you?" she asked, her French a little dulled due to her time in America. Ripjaws just nodded and flashed her teeth. Lisa smiled.

"That is good to know. En effet, comment voulez-vous faire un tour avec moi?" she asked. Ripjaws quirked her head to the side and her eyes squinted; she didn't comprehend.

Lisa giggled. "Mes excuses. I forget that you do not speak French like moi. I asked if you would like to take a walk with me. I would like to know where we are exactly. I'll tell Mattias you're with me. I know how much you detest him, non?"

Ripjaws seemed to mull it over, silently agreeing about Mattias. She didn't hate him per se, but he _was _a little patience wearing sometimes. She nodded before she hauled herself out the tank. She landed on the floor with a wet '_plop_' noise. She dragged her lower half so she was resting against the tank. Her skin was drying a little; a sign that her legs were coming back. It had been a while since she swapped appendages, but after that one night, she never really left her tank.

Besides, she thought, a new area, a new way to begin. Why not?

Her tail had dried considerably and was now splitting down the middle. Little fins stuck out from her calves. Her normally white hair had dried and darkened to a dull gray. The shark-like mouth retracted and swapped for a pair of lips in a Cupid's Bow shape, her gills had dried and faded to an almost invisible black color and her webbed fingers and head-fins disappeared; the former leaving a pair of ears. Her beady eyes took on a more humanoid like look, but still held their sharky features. Her teeth became two rows instead of four, but stayed the same sharpness.

She flashed Lisa a jagged grin and stood up shakily. The world wobbled for a while as her body adjusted to the new sense of gravity.

"Whoa now, wouldn't want our petite sirene to topple over from imbalance, now would we?" Lisa said as her hands were on Ripjaws' back and chest, steadying her. The other girl nodded and took a few steps; her body finally caught up with her brain was she was soon walking smoothly again.

Lisa tossed her a pair of wetsuit shorts, a pale blue sarong and a plain blue half-shirt. Ripjaws shrugged them on and put on a pair of sandals and held her arm out for Lisa. The older woman linked her arm and the duo was off.

"Are you sure you will not dry out? I could always carry a bottle of saltwater for you if you feel a little flakey.." Lisa said, her eyes looking at Ripjaws with worry. The girl just shrugged and waved her off. She was enjoying the sounds of the waves, the seabirds calling and the sand in her toes.

"Well, the main reason is I wanted to sell tickets in town! I didn't want to go alone, so I asked you. Up for it?" she asked

Ripjaws gave a mischievous smirk and nodded. The two ran off and into the inner parts of Bayville.

* * *

"Alright class settle down, settle down! You have a project to do for Biology. You have two weeks to pick a marine animal, do _**thorough **_research and type it up. It will also be presented in class, so _try _not to make it boring. Mr. Wagner, did you hear a word I said?" the female voice of the Biology teacher, Mrs. Colley, rang out. Kurt's head snapped up, drool hanging from the side of his face. Evan snickered at him.

"Yes Mrs. Colley. I heard you loud and clear!" he said. The teacher stared at him, before closing her eyes and standing straight. The bell rung, signifying the end of the day and the release for students to go home, or stay for afterschool activites.

"Man, you have got to stop sleeping in her class! Besides, Mrs. Colley is _by far _the coolest and _non-boringest _teacher at Bayville high!" Evan said, leaning on Kurt's shoulder as they left the class.

"Sorry, it's just…I had a dream last night. There vas vater everyvere and I felt as if I vas drowing! I felt a hand touch me, and then, I voke up." Kurt explained, as he slammed his locker shut and walked out with Evan to the parking lot. Jean and Scott were leaning against Scott's car; Kitty was sitting in the car and listening to something on her CD player.

"Hey you two; ready to go?" Jean asked as she slid into the car next to Kitty. Evan hopped in the back and Kurt teleported into the back as well.

"Sure am. Let's go home." Kurt said, and Scott turned the car on and drove out the parking lot.

The drive home was a calm one; Jean and Scott were chatting aimlessly with each other, while Evan was recording the scenery. Kurt had fallen asleep again and Kitty was texting a friend of hers from school.

When Scott pulled into the garage of the mansion, everyone exited the car and entered the building. Before everyone went off to their rooms Scott stopped them.

"What's the hold up Scott?" Kitty asked, noticing that everyone was looking at him, save her.

"Well, the Professor thinks he has a lead on where the new mutant is. He thinks she's with a circus that just came to Bayville." He explained. Kitty perked up.

"Oh, you mean 'Cirque Bizzare'? I wouldn't be surprised…with a name like that of course. I was planning on going. I heard the tickets were on sale now, so I thought about buying me one for myself and Jubilee.

"Well, we're going this weekend. Professor wants us to go so we can find him or her. He said that their power is manifesting, but it's weak. They may not even know that it is or if they are a mutant." Jean said. Kitty's eyes widened as she remembered her first time when she got her powers; it was always a dream of her falling and waking up crying in the basement. She was really frightened and confused as to _why it was happening to her. _Then she came to the institute and made tons of friends. She didn't want the new girl-_if _it was a girl- to experience what she did.

"He also said to dress for the area since it's at the beach." Scott said, and at the word 'beach', Kurt's face lit up. He disappeared with his trademark '_Bamf' _and the smell of sulfur; only to reappear in a pair of gaudy Hawaiian printed swimming trunks, a summer's hat, a pair of large sunglasses and carrying a beach ball and an umbrella in each hand.

"Oh I am _so _ready!" he said enthusiastically.

Scott gave him a look that said 'Not that kind of trip', and the fuzzy elf dropped the beach gear. "We're going to watch the show anyways, so why bother with beach stuff?" Scott said, "Besides, we don't have the tickets yet, so no need to get hasty."

The three younger students looked at each other and shrugged, before walking-_teleporting- _off to their rooms to do their homework.

* * *

The Professor and Storm were out in the heart of Bayville; shops and people walking everywhere. The stand for the circus tickets was currently 'On Break', but not before a woman with fiery red hair and a younger woman with gray hair took the sign down.

"WELCOME! PLEASE BUY TICKETS FOR CIRQUE BIZZARE'S FIRST SHOW IN BAYVILLE! TICKETS ARE 5$ A PERSON, SO BUY 'EM NOW WHILE THEY'RE CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!" The woman with the red hair screamed, and other pedestrians approached the stand. A small line formed; Storm and the Professor in the middle.

"Well, this was convenient timing." Ororo mused, a smile on her face. The Professor smiled as well.

"Indeed, it seems like something _wants _us to meet our new student."

About twenty minutes later and after the line shortened, the duo reached the stand.

"Coming to see Cirque Bizzare? I promise you will not leave unimpressed!" the woman smiled, her French accent barely prevailing through. Her assistant stood next to her; a smile on her pale lips.

"Actually no, my students will. And I would like five tickets please." Charles asked.

"Cinq billets à venir monsieur et madame!" the woman said, as the paler girl ripped off five small pink tickets.

Charles and Ororo thanked them and walked off, the tickets safe in Ororo's purse.

"I think that went rather well, yes?" she commented; standing close to people put her claustrophobia on edge a little.

"Indeed so. Now, tomorrow, there's a morning, noon and night show. I want them to go at noon. The flyer said noon shows start at one and end at six thirty, have them go then Storm." The Professor said.

"I will Charles."

And with that, they made their way back to the institute, hoping that this new mutant would be found soon.

* * *

Forgive me if the French is a little, _off. _I know google translate isn't the best place to go for foreign languages, but I'm not typing the whole thing in French…just little phrases. Besides, this'll be the last time Lisa is shown. I feel that Lisa is Ripjaws' best friend in the troupe. I also see her as a spirited young woman who enjoys being a little feisty at times.

I hope this is good enough for you guys. I tried to be a little better at the whole 'X-men type thing'. I'm doing it this way 'cause most of the X-Evo fics I read of OC mutants…the mutant is already at the institute or is being initiated into it. I wanted a little of a 'Hide and Seek' type. Soo expect the next chapter to -possibly- be another 'chase' one. But anyways, you guys know what to do; hit those buttons and let them comments fly!

~Liben away~


	3. Fears and Realizations

Sorry for the lateness. SAT testing had happened and I was so busy worrying about my health and tests that I couldn't find time (or inspiration) to write.

* * *

The tent was slowly filling up. The sound of excited chatter was as clear as day; Ripjaws could hear it, even though she was in the back of the tent where the rest of the troupe was getting into costume and stretching. The twins, Tia and Tammy, were wearing identical costumes, only in inversed colors. They were stretching and bending over backwards to loosen up; the duo were the opening act, so they needed to be as relaxed as possible.

Ripjaws stared. They were only a couple years younger than her, but they were usually her older figures, to her at least. Adam was stretching as well. He'd be responsible for launching the twins into the air when they're not on the trapeze. Mana was applying a light coating of blush to her bronze skin. Her lips were decorated in a bright gold color, matching the yellow leopard print leotard. Her companion and star for her segment was lazing by her feet, snoozing peacefully. Lisa was juggling some pins, while puffing out fire.

Rpjaws' tank was in the same room as the dressing room. She liked being near the others. It was comforting to say the least.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to Cirque Bizzare, I am Richard the Ringleader! We welcome you to our tent! Due to special circumstances, we will be showing our mermaid!" _

Ripjaws jumped in her tank. '_What!? No way! I can't be on, Mattias said I wasn't…maybe he lied to me?' _she thought to herself.

Maybe he _**did **_lie to her. Just then, Mattias came barreling in and roughly placed his hands on Ripjaws' tank. He looked confused and out of breath. The surprise must've taken him by surprise too.

"We've got a problem fishy. We have no routine and we're supposed to go on after the twins." He said. Ripjaws gave him a funny look, before she circled herself in the tank. She stopped and looked back at him. She noticed the lid on her tank and motioned to it. Mattias nodded and took it off.

Lisa came over. "You're performing without the tank? You must have a brilliant idea then sirene!" she exclaimed as she handed the girl one of her old leotards. Ripjaws slipped it on after she had dried up a bit. It was a pale sky blue with little fake gems decorated over it.

Lisa and Mattias helped comb out the tangled locks, much to Ripjaws' chagrin, and made it a little straighter than normal. Her usual pasty lips were painted a pretty pink, and her eyes given a slight light blue eye shadow.

She looked back at Mattias and gave him a smile; Tia, Tammy and Adam had already left, judging by the cheers. So far, the crowd was really loving it.

He sighed. "Alright Jaws, but this idea of yours had better work. We're up!"

The crowd was clapping and the twins and Adam came back in. The trio gave Ripjaws a confused look.

"So this is you with legs…huh. You're pretty Ripjaws!" Tammy said. Ripjaws' face had a light pink dusting over it, but it vanished at Mattias pulled her along. "C'mon, Ringleader is already introducing us, we don't want to disappoint."

* * *

Down in the first row sat the Xavier Institute students; Kitty, Kurt, Jean, Scott and Rogue.

Kitty and Kurt were chatting excitedly about the first performance, while Jean, Scott and Rogue were watching expectantly.

"Did you like see how they flipped in the air!? It was totally cool!" Kitty exclaimed, "It reminds me of you when you're in the Danger Room. You usually land on one of us."

Kurt was laughing at the first part, but it died down at the second. "Ha ha, but that only happens vhen I misport or someone is standing there! But they were cool! Especially vhen they did a single hand spiral in the air vith each other! Man, I thought they vere flying for a second!"

Rogue laughed, "Well, they are called the 'Flyin' Monkeys' Kurt." The trio was shushed by Jean, who pointed out that the Ringleader was speaking.

"_We hope you enjoyed our Strongman and our Monkeys! Now, here's our mermaid princess; Ripjaws!"_

The lights had darkened when the transition between shows was happening, but were on again. A lavender spotlight shone down on a girl and a man standing back to back with each other.

A whistle was heard and the girl did a tucked in back flip; a fan appearing in her hands as she stood straight again. Two whistles were blown and the girl proceeded to do several back hand springs before landing on a trampoline. The fan was tossed to the side as she hopped on the trampoline, waiting for the next whistle. A large tank was behind the trampoline.

'_Come on Jaws, this'd better work…' _drifted through Ripjaws' mind. She glanced at Mattias, who was readying a whistle call. She faced the crowd again.

Seven whistles were blown; the first two made Ripjaws jump into the air and pirouette as she rose. She struck a pose on the third whistle, before back flipping as she ascended. The fourth whistle made her bounce and front flip, this time she grabbed onto once of the hanging trapeze bars, and hauled herself onto a sitting position. Through the fifth and sixth blows, she swung on it; hanging occasionally from the bar, doing handstands or spinning on it. The crowd made loud awe-struck noises as Ripjaws preformed. The final blow was when she jumped off the bar, which was away from the tank, rolled in the air and swan dove into the tank, her leotard vanished in the bubbles, and appeared a long, shark's tail as she swam to the bottom and swam to the top, launching herself out and posing with the arms both up.

The crowd was cheering madly, some even stood up and cheered. Ripjaws jumped out of the tank and onto the trampoline, lounging there, since she was still wet. Mattias bowed and she waved from her spot, the lights cutting out soon after. Noises of confusion were heard, before a scream broke out. The backup lights came on and Ripjaws saw a cut electrical cord, swinging from the top and straight towards Mattias. She had no time to warn him, but she stared confusedly at the cord; it was suspended in the air.

"Kurt, get that man out of there! Rogue and Kitty, go find the Ringleader and tell him what happened!" Scott ordered, before blasting the electric cord out of the way. The blast must've shaken the rafters, because a piece of it had fallen and landed on Ripjaws.

She gave out a garbled hiss, as she clawed at the piece of metal. It wasn't hurting her, but she still felt the discomfort. Her hands had gained their claw-like features and she was starting to claw through some of the debris. Jean was busy holding up the other pieces of debris from falling on the other citizens.

Ripjaws hissed in frustration, before a calm voice entered her head; '_It is alright, you're going to be fine, if you listen to me.' _

She looked around, but saw nobody there, the voice rang again; '_Listen, you have a very interesting gift, one that your family has known about for a very long time. I will guide you to the best of my abilities until we meet in person. Now, concentrate on the water in the tank. Imagine it lifting the debris off of you.' _

Ripjaws did as she was told, focusing only on making the water move. It began to slowly rise from the tank and take form of a giant hand. The hand lowered itself onto the debris and lifted it. Ripjaws scrambled from underneath, before she lost total control; the water and debris falling onto and through the trampoline where she once was.

"You see that?" Scott asked, as Kurt ported back near him.

"Yeah I did, that can be a powerful mutant ability." He responded.

Ripjaws was staring at her hands and listening out for the voice again. When she got no response she looked at the soaking wet debris and the tank. It was half empty, and the debris was covered in dirty water.

"Excuse me, can we talk…outside the tent? The others would like to as well." Scott said calmly as he approached Ripjaws. Upon hearing the request, she snapped out of her questions of _how _and _why _and followed Scott out.

* * *

The tent had been tapped off by the police. The rest of the troupe was standing around, watching Ripjaws as she was surrounded by Scott and company.

"Listen, you're like us. Mutants. We're humans with special genetics that give us special powers…I can shoot optic laser beams from my eyes at varying power levels. Oh, I'm Scott Summers by the way." He introduced himself. The others had begun to follow suit.

"Hello, my name is Jean Gray, I'm a telepath. I can lift objects with my mind, communicate with others via telepathy and fly with my psychic abilities." Ripjaws glanced at the red head before going back to staring at her arms. Her arms had little fins poking out from the sides.

"This is Kurt Wagner, he can teleport, but only for short distances. He also must know where he's going; this is Kitty Pryde, she can phase through objects and phase others through as well." Jean continued. Ripjaws gave a slight sign of acknowledgement before her gaze, now shifted from her fins, moved to glance over her shoulder at her family.

They were all watching her; their eyes had a slight fear in them and also a sadness to them. Ripjaws frowned. She didn't like when her family is upset, especially if she was the cause of the displeasure. She sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing the temples of her head. The X-Men shared worried glances with each other.

"Listen, if you ever vant to come to the institute, a simple thought or two vill vork! Or you can visit and speak vith the Professor himself. I can see that you have a lot to vork out vith your family." Kurt spoke up, catching Ripjaws' attention. She gave him a weak smile of gratitude, before turning and walking over to her family. They all gathered around her in a hug. Ripjaws just sighed and held closer.

She was honestly confused as to _who and what she was _now. She knew she looked different from the others, but she never knew the _cause _of the difference, until today. A single tear rolled down her face and dripped onto Ringleader's coat. The older man hugged her tighter and rubbed her back.

* * *

Magneto floated in the air, as he watched the scene. Quicksilver had sneaked in and shut the power down, as well as cut the electrical cord. Magneto had just caused all the debris to fall.

He watched the girl awaken her gene, but it had only lasted for a second. Charles' Cerebro must've detected the rise in X-Gene activity, which had caused him to encourage the girl into saving herself.

"This girl could very well be a class five mutant…but her gene doesn't stay awake long enough to be used…" he thought, as he flew off. Magneto had arrived at Mystique's bedroom window, before he forced it open. The woman was pacing her room.

"Raven, I need you to do something." He spoke, more so in a demand.

Mystique scoffed. "You dare barge into my room and start spewing demands?! Are you insane?!"

Magneto's eyes has somewhat closed, before he said; "There is a mutant girl, who may be a class five. I need you to make her x-gene activate, before she decides to move into the institute. Fail me, and you will suffer."

When Mystique turned around, Magneto was already gone. She smiled to herself.

"There's no way in Hell I'd let that man steal away from me a powerful mutant…"

She exited her room and walked down the stairs and into the living rooms door way. She was leaning on the frame. Lance, Fred and Todd were all sitting there. Fred was stuffing his face while he flipped through the T.V. channels, Lance was listening to some rock song and Todd was chasing flies.

Mystique pinched the bridge of her nose before shouting; "Listen up you blundering buffoons!"

All three boys were startled, and looked at her, confusion on their faces.

"Yo, what up Mystique?" Todd asked as he hopped onto the T.V.

"There is possibly a class five mutant here in Bayville. I need you three idiots to convince her to join us. Magneto wants her for himself, but I'll have better use for her. She hasn't chosen the X-Men yet, so make a good impression. Do I make myself clear?" she hissed

The three boys gave an audible gulp before chorusing a 'Yes ma'am!' Mystique left and returned back to her room.

"So it's a girl huh? I bet she ain't as cute as my Hunybuns!" Toad said, as he swooned over Wanda.

Lance just scoffed and put his headphones back on. Fred looked at the two confusedly, before he went back to his bag of chips.

* * *

Ripjaws was sitting on the cool sands. Night had fallen, and she was thinking to herself. Knees drawn up to her chin, her eyes glazed over as she listened to the waves crash the sand. A warm breeze tickled her hair, before it settled.

She wriggled her toes.

_Mutant; _so that's what she didn't understand how she never noticed it until now. But, boy was it a shocker. The fins, the tail, the large gills, the large and sharp teeth. It all screamed 'Mutant'. She guessed the phrase 'Bliss to the ignorant' applied to her. She sighed and stretched her legs out. The sand tickled her heels. It reminded her at how at peace she felt when in water, and how…_out of place _she felt on land.

She flopped back onto the sand, only to see Mattias leaning over her.

She jumped back into her sitting position. Mattias had given her a sheepish smile.

"Mind if I sit 'Jaws?" he asked. Ripjaws shook her head and patted the sand next to her. He nodded in gratitude, before settling down and crossing his legs. The two were accompanied by silence mostly; the sound of waves being their only ambiance.

"Listen, we never told you about, well, _this _because we were never sure ourselves." Mattias began. Ripjaws nodded, signaling him to continue.

"We all saw how you smiled and we never really wanted that to disappear. We thought it was best…"

Ripjaws looked at him from the corner of her eye. His face was scrunched up in thought.

She placed her hand on his and smiled at him.

'_Thank you for always caring Mattias…' _

Mattias' eyes widened as he looked around for the sound. Ripjaws was on her feet, looking as well. For what exactly, she didn't know.

"Did you not hear that?" he asked

'_Hear what?' _

Ripjaws was looking at him confusedly. A slight pout on her face.

"That! There was a voice…and…Oh my fish on a stick, it's coming from _you!" _he exclaimed. Now her eyebrows morphed into a full-blown scowl.

'_I bet you can hear this, huh?' _Mattias thought. When he saw the surprise on Ripjaws' face, he knew he was right.

"It _is _you! You're a mind reader, uh uh…no, you're a _telepath _'Jaws! You can talk to us with your mind!"

The surprise on her face bloomed into pure joy. She tackled Mattias to the ground. Tears were flowing from her eyes freely, and a pure smile was on her face.

All those years she spent, shaking her head, waving her arms like a lunatic and making faces, she didn't have to do them any more! People could _hear her_! They could _finally _hear what she had to say. All because an accident Mattias did while trying to cheer her up.

'_I knew you never hated me…you were just confused on how to tell me…' _

Mattias gently set up and wiped her tears. "Hey hey hey, you may be right, but I was always your caregiver, and I always will be. Look, you being a mutant or what ever doesn't change how we see and feel about you. You're sill our silly shark-mermaid who has sass that rivals a peacock. And if you want to leave, you can. We will always stand by you and your decisions. We always have, and always will. We're like the Ringleader's kids. We all have those days where we'll spread our wings and leave; some earlier than others." He said; a smirk on his face. Ripjaws just hugged him tighter.

"Alright, let's go buy you some steaks."

And with that, the duo walked off, Mattias laughing as Ripjaws spoke to him mentally and expressed all her frustrations to him about how he treated her.

But really, who could be angry at your best friend, if he took care of you for seventeen years?

* * *

A bullpoopie ending, for a bullpoopie written chapter. This chapter will possibly make no sense in some parts. I tried k. It isn't easy because well, this is a learning experience? And also because (if you cant tell) the parts have been written at different intervals, so some ideas may have been scrapped.

And thank you so much for the reviews. This is literally my most-popular; I'm using this word loosely- fanfic I've ever written. If some of the characters are a little ooc, it's probably because this is kinda a Ripjaws-centric fic. As always, tell me what I need to improve on; characterization, grammar, sentence structure, all that jazz.

As for one reviewer, yes; Ripjaws will be getting a suit that keeps her hydrated when worn. I'm not saying where the suit is coming from, but she gets one ;D

As always, stay frosty! Liben out~


	4. Quick Alert

**UPDATE NOTICE**

**Liben: I am so sorry for not updating. My Carpal Tunnel has been acting up something terrible. (It hurts to type this out now!)**

**I've also been swamped with after school activities and class time projects, that I haven't had time to work on Frenzy yet. I am thinking of possible events for chapter 3 onward, but School First, Fics second. (Ideas are welcome!)**

**So, in other news, this will be here until further notice! I'll remove this when I update! Okay? Bye guys!**


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